lechner



M. LECHNER.

azcrmc STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. I918.

Patented Nov. 16,1920.

2 SNEETHHEET l- WITNESSES: W-Mkuaflm 7k IZENyTOR M WM JTTORNEYS M. LECHNER. ELECTRIC STORAGE BATTERY. APPLICATION nuzu JULY 29. me.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m H H H II II TTORIIEYS so is MATTHEW LECHNER, 01' NEW YORK, N. Y.

nrlncrmc STORAGE surre Specification of Letters Patent.

Twill whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW LECHNER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borou h of Manhattan, city, county, and State of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Storage Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric storage batteries, and more particular] to that type thereof in which lead plates orm elements of the construction. In the operation of such batteries, a certain amount of material is cast off from the plates and passes down to the bottom of the cells where it forms gradually increasing heaps of sediment which form connections between two plates of different polarity. The sediment comprises lead, lead peroxid and sulfate of either, and it true, is not a good conductor of electricity; it is, however, a suliiciently good conductor to establish an electrical circuit between adjacent positive and negative plates. Numerous small currents result, the sum total of which representsa-continuous and injurious loss of electrical energy at all stages and during the entire life of the battery.

The particular object of my invention to provide a construction in which these objectionable circuits between positive and negative plates, due to the accumulating sediment, are prevented and the consequent loss of electrical energy avoided.

Other more specific obje ts will appear appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which, for illustrative and descriptive purposes, show a number of examples of my invention, Figure 1 is a mcitudinal section of a portion of a battery cell showing one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof on the line 2-2 of; Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are' views similar to Fig. 1 showing additional forms of my invention: Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views of. still other forms of my invention Fig. 9 is a plan view illustratinc the form shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a still further form of my invention and Fig. 11 is a cross-section thereof ctr-the line- 11-11 of Fig. 10. As shown in the drawings, the battery -and negative plates 18 with 19 and 20,-

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Application filed July 29, 1918. Serial No. 247,111."

cellcomprises the customary jar lb of hard rubber or other suitable material, having a plurality of interiorly located ribs or ridges, for instance two, 16 and 16*, projecting upwardly from its bottom. The cell includes further the usual positive plates 17 and negative plates 18 supported in any well known way and spaced apart by separators 19 and 20 usually consisting ofrubber and wood respectlvely. The separators 19 the positive plate 17 and the wood separator 0 111 surface engagement with the negative plate 18; The separators 19 and 20, when combined in pairs, are of such combined dimensions as to fit snugly between a pair of plates 17 and 18, and to frictionally engage the opposed surfaces-thereof in the usual way; all of theplates in a single cell, together With their supports, are thus secured together in the form of a unit in which the individual plates are incapable of relative movement in any direction.

In the operative condition of the battery, the units comprising the positive plates 17 their supports, and the separators all in fixed relation to each other are located within the jar 15 and rest upon the ribs or bridges 16 and 16 in transverse relation thereto. It is a well recognized fact that the sediment which falls from the phttes in the operation of the battery, accumulates at the bottom of the jar. in heaps alon z the side surfaces of the ribs or bridges 16 hd 16. the accumulation being 'ren est at titese points and becoming gradually less towillrd the center of the s aces between plates. If,

as in existing COIWtIlVtlOTlFi. the lower erl es of each plate 17 and l8 rest upon both bridges 16 and 16, shortircuitina of the plates will occur as soon as the sedim therefrom reaches an amount suffic ent to contact with a positive and a na ative plate and thus establi h an e ectricl connection therebetwecn. Th s occurs at a re atively earlv stage in the use of the (all, since the fallin sediment forms a skin on the bridges and the bottom if the jar. which skin is capable of ele trically connecting the pistes.

This objection is avoided in the form all edges of said plates.

brid e 16 while the edge 18" so top edges of the bridges 85 ment in any material quantities inclines 17 and 18 46 spective inclines 60 thereof are shown in Fi s. 1 and 2 by malging the lower edge 17 an 18 of the positive. and negative plates 17 and 18. respectively, inclined instead of at right an les to the vert1cal In assembling the plates they are set in reversed relation to each other so that the edge 1? inclines upwardly in one direction while the edge 18 inclines upwardly in the opposite direction;

10 in other words, looking at the assembled plates as in Fi 1 the edges 17 and 18 intersect each other. With the described arran ement the edge 17 will rest upon the bri go 16 and be free or spaced from the will rest upon the ridge 16 and be free or spaced from the bridge 16; owing to the fact that the plates are combined in the form of a rigid unit with the separators 19 and an elii- 2o cient and adequate support of the battery elements is secured even though the plates alternately engage only individual bridges.

It will be obvious that the sediment which always accumulates to the greatest extent along and upon the surfaces of the bridges 16 and 16 cannot form a connection between a positive plate and an adjacent nega: tive plate for the reason that one of said plates is spaced from a given bridge. The

16 and 16 are generally rounded or otherwise formed to prevent an accumulation of sediment thereon; the vibration resulting from a moving vehicle will also prevent the gathering of sediupon the upper edges of the bridges.

n the form shown in Fig. 3 the lower edges of the plates 17 and 18 instead of extending from one side edge to the other in a 10 continuous incline are formed with com- 17 and 18 and 18 are shorter than the with the proportions so arranged that the junction points of the rerepresent the points at which the plates engage the bridges and upon which they are supported. The plates 1 and 18 in this form also, are set in reversed relation to each other so far as the pound inclines 17" and the inclines 17 and 18 50. inclined lower edges are concerned, so that the positive plates will be in engagement w th and supported upon, for instance, the bridge 16 and spaced from the bridge 16 while the negative plates will be in engagement with and supported upon the bridge 16 but spaced from the verse.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the plates 17 and 8 are symmetrical and the lower edges v rovided with lugs orproje'ctions 17 an 18 respectively located, when the plates are in reversed relation to each other, so'ast'n register with the bridges 16 and 16. Thus the lugs 17 of the positive bridge 16 or vice 45 plates 17 will engage the bridge 16 and the lugs 18 of the negative plates 18 will engage the brid e 16", the plates being each spaced from t e other brid e. D

In Fig. 5 the plates are a so symmetrical and at the lower edges are rovided with notches 17 and 18 respective y arran ed to register with the brid cs 16 and 16; y assembling the plates 1 and 18 in alternate reversed relation to each other the notches l7 will be in registry with one bridge, for instance, 16", while the notches 18 are in registry with the other bridge 16. With this arrangement also each plate, positive and negative, rests upon one bridge only and is out of engagement with the ot er; the points of engagement of the positive and negative plates are never with the same bridge and are never contiguous to each other.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate my improvement applied to the bridges 16 and 16 which as shown are provided with seats 16 and recesses 16 alternating with each other in each bridge; the arrangement is such that the seats 16 and recesses 16 of one bridge will be staggered with respect to theseats and recesses of the other bridge or, in other words, the seats 16 of the brid e 16 will register with the recesses of the ridge 16 and vice versa. this case are symmetrical and of true rectangular form as in existing batteries; when in position in the cell the positive plates 17 will rest, for instance, upon the seats 16" of the brid e 16" and project over the recesses 16 0 the bridge 16 while the negative plates 18 will rest upon the seats 16 of the bridge 16 and extend over the recesses 16" of the bridge 16 as shown in Fig. 9, in which the separators 19 and 20 are shown as partly broken away. It will be seen in this form that the plates are in contact with one bridge and out of contact with the others.

The form shown in Fig. 10 includes a central bridge 16 andtwo outside brid es 16; the bridges 16 may be recessed as in igs 6 T and 8 or constructed as in the other forms. In this instance one set of plates, for in stance, the positive plates 17, rests upon the seats 16 of the bridges 16 and are provided with recesses 17 in registry with the central bridge 16* and of sufl'icient dimensions to escape contact therewith; the plates 17 thus straddle the central bridge but do not engage the saine. The negative plates 18 rest upon the central bridge 16but extend over the recesses 16 of the outer bridges 16 and thus do not engage said outer bridges 16 as shown in Fig. 11. This form includes the same advantages as the other forms; even if the sediment should accumulate in sufficient quantities along the bridges 16 to form a connectipn between two negative plates 18 or along the central bladge 16" to form a connection between two The plates 17 and 18 in positive plates this will have no injurious results as in each case the connected plates are of the same polarity.

In all of the forms described the close frictional engagement between the plates, separators and other elements prevent either one of the groups of connected plates of the same polarity from tilting on the single points of support as fulcrums into contact with the second bridge; the unit constituting the plates, separators, etc, is thus rigidly supported in proper position to maintain. the plates out of contact with a given bridge as desired. If through use or from other causes the group of plates of a given polarity should become loosened and thus be capable of independent movement relatively to the other group, any suitable means may be used to counteract or correct this condition; for instance, a suitable member of in sulating material constructed in the form of a spacing device may be fitted between the plates near their upper portions for this purpose.

My improvements in all forms are we tremcly simple and efficient and may readily be combined in and with batteries of existing constructions. My improvement reduce the period of charging the batteries and avoid the necessity for forcing a surplus amount of electrical energy beyond what would ordinarily be required into the cell sullicicnt to keep the elements clean; in other words i existing; constructions it is ncc ary to overcharge the battery to an extent corrcspending with the amount of energy lost through the accumulating sediment.

Naturally the energy at the disposal of the user after the battery has been charged, is dcereased to a like extent for the same rea sons My improvements also do away with practically all of the so-cullcd self-discharge, obviate undue sulfatinp of the plates and the consequent necessity for overcharging to again clean the same, reduce the exposure of the plates to gasing to a minimum and increase the life of the batteries to a maximum extent by reducing; the loosening and dropping of active material to very small amounts.

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In a storage batter 1 cell, the combination of a container, positive and negative plates therein, means wherebv said plates are ombined in the form 0 a unit, and spaced bridges in said container whereby said unit is maintained in position, the supporting edges of said plates having portions extending downwardly beyond contiguous portions of said plates, the latter being set in reversed relation to each other in said celi whereby said plates are in engagement with one bridge and spaced from the other bridge.

In a storage battery cell, the coinbination of a container. plates therein, and spaced bridges beneath said plates for mainl'uining them in position, the arrangement including recesses located entirely within the confines of: the element on which they are located whereby said plates are in engagement with one bridge and out of engagement with the other.

5. In a storage battery cell, the combine tion of a container, positive and ncgatire plates therein, means whereby said plates are combined in the form 0 a unit, and spaced bridges in said container whereby said unit is maintained in position, the positive plate having a recess in registry with one bridge and the negative plate having a rcccss in registry with the other bridge whereby said plates have contact with one bridge but not with the other, said recesses being located entirely Within the periphcries of said plates.

4, In a storage battery cell, the combina-' 'tion of a container, a group comprising posi tive and negative plates therein (EUIIllllIllll in the form of a unit, and a second group comprising spaced bridges in mid container whereby said unit maintained in position, one of said groups having seats and rctcsses, the seats and recesses of opposed members of said group being staggered with respect to each other whereby said plates have contact with one bridge but not with the other. 

